North Space exhibit showcasing the beauty and complexity of coding

Every year humanity becomes more reliant on computers to help us through our lives and the Art of Coding exhibit on display at Humber North Space gallery is here to show the beauty in coding.

Whether playing a video game, using a app on a smart phone or even paying for groceries online, the modern person uses devices that run on coding in almost every aspect of our lives, yet it is a language foreign to most of us.

Although it is complex and exact, program coordinator for the Humber Web Development program Bernie Monette and professor and program coordinator of the Multimedia Design and Development George Paravantes asks viewers to see coding in a different light.

“Beautiful code is easy to read, is fully explained, and works on any device. If the output is also beautiful – then it is wondrous to see,” Monette said.

The exhibit on display aims to break down barriers that would prevent people from being involved in this aesthetics medium and that it can be pleasing in both form and function.

“Coding is an important facet to both visual design and the interactive aspect of programing. There has always been an intrinsic partnership between code and design,” Paravantes said.

“Coding is accessible to anyone who wants to use it. The problem is that code is so picky and as a result humans tend to avoid code. As faculty we spend a lot of time supporting our students as they struggle learning these new languages and new means of expression,” Monette said.

For the future hopeful coder there are many ways to begin practicing and learning. From the Khan Academy, Coursera, W3Schools and even YouTube, the rewards from the practice stem directly from personal ambition.

“People think understanding math is important to understanding code when that’s not necessarily the case. Understanding logic and flow is more important. When we start our day everyone goes through a logical process similar to what happens in code and it’s subconscious. If I do this task, then I can do that. We call it pseudo-code,” Paravantes said.

Student involvement has also been central to the exhibit. It displays bits of code and programs that have been developed by students in Humber’s web development and multimedia programs.

“It is great to have a progression of student work in the space. Not only can the entire Humber community see what they’re doing but they get to see what they’re doing in a public space,” Head Curator Ashely Watson said.

Coding is the path that lies directly between the worlds of creativity and functionality and even if a career in coding is not in the plan, there is no disadvantage to understanding the processes that are governing modern lives. A long the way some may even find a new creative outlet for expressing themselves.